Caitlin R Kiernan
Completed 8/17/2020, Reviewed 8/17/2020
4 stars
Books about mental illness are
often both extremely engrossing and disturbing.
This book is definitely both. I
could barely put it down. The main
character is schizophrenic. She is an
unreliable narrator, she acknowledges that she lies, and she makes a
distinction between truth and factual. The
story is a ghost story, or maybe it’s just her illness, or maybe it’s somewhere
in between. This book is one of the most
nominated books in a while, getting Nebula and World Fantasy Award nominations
among many others, and winning the Bram Stoker and Otherwise Awards.
India Morgan Phelps, known simply
as Imp, is a dangerously trusting person.
When a neighbor is kicked out of her living situation, she invites her to
stay with her. They quickly fall in
love. Soon after Abalyn moves in, Imp
finds a young woman standing naked on the road in the dark. Out of concern for her, she brings her home,
much to Abalyn’s consternation. Eva
Canning, the young woman, leaves the next day, but Imp becomes obsessed with
her. She see’s her around town. She dreams of her. She begins to see and hear her when no one else
can. Then she goes off her meds. Abalyn can’t handle this and moves out. Is Eva real, a ghost, a siren, a mermaid, a
wolf, or simply a symptom of Imp’s schizophrenia? That is the question that underlies the
novel.
The characters of Imp and Abalyn
are very well-developed. Imp draws a lot
of sympathy as she struggles with the questionable reality of Eva and her
relationship with Abalyn. I found myself
really liking and being concerned about Imp despite her unreliable, non-linear
narration, where lies may not be factual, but they are the truth. She paints for a living, making art for
herself as well as what she considers crap for the tourist trade. She also writes short stories to help expunge
her demons, one of which was published, but others which she never wants to
publish. She is very much behind the
times, not knowing anything about computers or contemporary music. Her album collection is her mother’s vinyl
from the ‘70s and she doesn’t know what it means to google something.
Abalyn is transgendered woman who
writes video game reviews for a living.
She has just come from a disastrous relationship. Imp tells her about her mental illness, and
Abalyn deals with that as best as she can until it becomes intolerable. She is a strong person, easy to disturb, but
patient enough that she is present through much of the story. She adds some credence to the ghost story
because she actually sees Eva the first time Imp brings her home. I liked Abalyn a lot and was saddened the
first time she leaves Imp.
The writing of the book is
marvelous. It’s not always quite coherent
as Imp meanders and gets side tracked.
There’s one chapter where she is off her meds. It’s equally enthralling and vastly incoherent.
But the style overall is quite unique. Reading it is experience, as there isn’t much
plot or action. You experience Imp as
she goes in and out of her illness. You
experience Abalyn in her struggle to have a normal relationship. You experience Eva, whether she’s a siren or
a werewolf, or simply a woman in a red dress at the art museum.
I give this book four stars out of
five. I very nearly gave it five stars,
but found the ending a little too poetic for my tastes, considering how the
rest of the book is much rawer. I really
enjoyed the book, though. I found the
treatment of the transgender character to be one of the best I’ve ever read. I think this book will be remembered for a
long time an excellent example of how to write a book about mental illness
without being patronizing.
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